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Question about a carry gun

19593 Views 29 Replies 14 Participants Last post by  fomocofan
I'm looking for a daily carry gun, unfortunatly i'm on a budget. Here in Mass a sub-compact Glock is going to cost me $700 because of out wonderful gun laws that only allow us to buy pre-98 Glocks. Should I spend the $700 on a used gun, or should I go buy a .38 snubbie?......Or should I move?.....
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I personally do not like Glocks, or more accurately, they don't seem to like me and I've owned two and fought like mad to not be issued a third. I would go with an S&W or Colt snubbie myself. These are pretty much foolproof and require much less care, cleaning, and familiarity to use proficiently. There are many other brands of semi-autos out there that might be a better choice for you and you should find a range with rental guns to "test drive" them yourself. For concealed carry I lug around either a compact 1911 model or lately a Kel-Tec in 40 S&W. The Kel-Tec is a fairly cheap gun but seems to be pretty reliable in the .380 ACP, 9mm, and 40 S&W. My P-40 has over a couple thousand rounds through it between me and the previous owner with no problems. I know of several with the P11 that have had similar luck with them. The smaller versions seem to have more complaints but that also seems to be the case with many of the smaller calibers.
masshunter said:
Here in Mass a sub-compact Glock is going to cost me $700 because of out wonderful gun laws that only allow us to buy pre-98 Glocks.
What rationale, if any, was given for this rule?

p.s. moving doesn't sound too bad!
Well, according to Mass consumer protection laws, Glocks are considerded unsafe. Mass-compliant guns must have a bunch of tests done. These links explain some of the laws and list many of the guns that we cannot buy because of these unclear and confusing laws.

http://www.fsguns.com/fsg_information.html
http://www.fsguns.com/regulations.html

If you ever get some time and feel like getting pissed off, you can read about the laws at www.packing.org
Mass...
I dont know how it would fit in with your local laws but I would consider going to an out of state gun show and consider buying one from an individual. This would be legal here in Texas.
I carry either a G30 or a G19 most of the time.

Good luck.
Rev. said:
Mass...
I dont know how it would fit in with your local laws but I would consider going to an out of state gun show and consider buying one from an individual. This would be legal here in Texas.
I carry either a G30 or a G19 most of the time.

Good luck.
That would not be legal anywhere in the U.S.A.!

You can only purchase a handgun in the State you reside!

BTW, you can only purchase a long gun outside your State if you buy it from a licensed dealer.
Is it legal to buy a handgun from a private party out of state and have the gun shipped to a ffl for pickup?
Pistolero said:
Rev. said:
Mass...
I dont know how it would fit in with your local laws but I would consider going to an out of state gun show and consider buying one from an individual. This would be legal here in Texas.
I carry either a G30 or a G19 most of the time.

Good luck.
That would not be legal anywhere in the U.S.A.!

You can only purchase a handgun in the State you reside!

BTW, you can only purchase a long gun outside your State if you buy it from a licensed dealer.
Please explain what makes the purchase illegal. You are buying from an individual, not a licensed dealer. There are no records required to be kept for this type of purchase. Please give a link which shows the law making this illegal, especially here in Texas. Obviously I am not aware of it.
Fuelburns2 said:
Is it legal to buy a handgun from a private party out of state and have the gun shipped to a ffl for pickup?
If you find a handgun you would like to have while traveling outside your state of residence, the only legal way for you to get that handgun is to have it sent to an FFL in your state and pick it up there. The person selling the gun is the one who gets it to the FFL in your state. Some FFL's will only accept a firearm if it sent from another FFL, but that is not a requirement of the law.
Rev. said:
Please explain what makes the purchase illegal. You are buying from an individual, not a licensed dealer. There are no records required to be kept for this type of purchase. Please give a link which shows the law making this illegal, especially here in Texas. Obviously I am not aware of it.
Both of the below laws are Federal laws.

This one applies if you want to buy a handgun outside of your State:
Title 18, United States Code, Section 922 (a)(3); It shall be unlawful for any person, other than a licensed importer, licensed manufacturer, licensed dealer, or licensed collector, to transport into or receive in the State where he resides any firearm purchased or otherwise obtained by such person outside that State....

There is an exception, but it only applies to long guns purchased from a licensed dealer outside of your State.

This one applies if you want to sell, trade, give any firearm to a person that does not reside in your State;

Title 18 U.S.C. Section 922 (a)(5): It shall be unlawful for any person (other than a licensed importer, licensed manufacturer, licensed dealer, or licensed collector) to transfer, sell, trade, give, transport, or deliver any firearm to any person (other than a licensed importer, licensed manufacturer, licensed dealer, or licensed collector) who the transferor knows or has reasonable cause to believe does not reside in the State in which the transferor resides.

Hope this helps.
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I can't even have a used gun shipped to an ffl unless the glock was made prior to 1998 and has been previosly registered in mass. Its looking like I'm going with the .38.
Pistolero...
That is the first time I have ever seen or heard of that. At the various gun shows I have been to, and the unlicensed dealers I have bought from no one has ever ask where I was from. I just paid for the item and was on my way.
I am sure that law is unknowingly broken a lot. :wink:
Rev. said:
Pistolero...
That is the first time I have ever seen or heard of that. At the various gun shows I have been to, and the unlicensed dealers I have bought from no one has ever ask where I was from. I just paid for the item and was on my way.
I am sure that law is unknowingly broken a lot. :wink:
Not really. Read the law again. It says selling, giving, etc... to a person you KNOW is not a resident of your State.

Having knowledge is an element of the crime. It's like the old don't ask, don't tell thing. :lol:

If you are selling a firearm and someone walks up and announces in a loud clear voice (so the microphone will pick up the conversation) that they are not a resident of your State or that they are a convicted felon, the seller is then responsible to announce in a loud clear voice (so the microphone will pick up that end of the conversation) that they cannot sell them the firearm.
masshunter said:
Should I spend the $700 on a used gun, or should I go buy a .38 snubbie?......Or should I move?.....

If you have the means and will to move then that's the direction I would lean towards in your position. Michigan gun laws aren't that bad but I want a more rural area with less restrictive gun laws so I'm seriously considering moving to Tennessee or even Texas. There are many factors to consider such as family, friends, and most importantly getting a new job. I guess what I'm saying is that I wouldn't tolerate such ridiculous regulation if I had the option of leaving. Also, isn't Mass. a cold state most of the year?
First off I wouldn't purchase a snub .38 or a Kel Tec .380 over a mini-Glock.

Check out the Kel-Tec forums concerning the P3AT:
http://www.ktog.org
http://www.ktrange.com
I own a P3At and love it but to many people have had problems with it for me to feel comfortable.

The revolver v. semi is an age old and on going dispute of old vs new that i wish not to get in to. The argumument of the reliablity of less moving parts of the revolver is valid but it just doesn't fly in 99.9% of side arm incidents. The militarty and most law enforcement officers have learned through time which side arm is most capable. Hence few still carry revolvers.

My opinion of the glock is very high. I own a 27. Some just dont like it and it is generally due to 1: the look and 2: the feel. Most likely the dislike is not due to relaiblity or function.
I'm not concerned with the reliability of the glock, I've shot thousands of rounds thru a friends, and have only had a single jam. I'm going gun shopping after Christmas hopefully I get a deal on the glock.
Try getting it before the years end. Many gun shops have year end clearence sales so dont have to pay tax on inventory.
Tax on inventory????

tax on profits, yes, but if its still in inventory then no tax. Year end deals are usually just that, deals. they clean house before a new batch comes in with price increases.
Hikerbum, not trying to burst your accountant bubble but 2/5 of the States have inventory taxes. Hence, liquidating year end inventory is advantageous. I-E=P!!
After reading this string of complaints against Mass., I am glad I do not live there. That being said, get a Glock 23 (my issue weapon), and I think that you will learn that it is a nice medium between the 9MM and .45 (more stopping power than the 9MM and less recoil than the .45). Be careful of interstate firearms purchases. I have seen many law abiding citizens get steered in the wrong direction under the pressures of a good firearms saleaman. Have yourself a blessed and Merry Christmas.
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